


Severity

by orphan_account



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Erik is a Shark, Gen, Oops I May Have Offended Some People, Past Abuse, Protective Erik, Recreational Drug Use, Roman Catholicism, Sean Cassidy's Dubious Past, never mind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2014-08-31
Packaged: 2018-02-15 14:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2232768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sean and Alex may have tried to blow up the mansion.<br/>It was Sean's idea.<br/>Actually, it was probably cannabis's idea, but never mind. Sean still needs scaring into obedience.<br/>(Cue Erik Scary Lehnsherr)<br/>Only, Sean is already scared, and Erik needs to work out why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Severity

**Author's Note:**

> I am not accusing Catholics of anything! It's just because it was the sixties and that kind of thing happened!
> 
> I have no excuse for this fic. I'm sorry.

Sean and Alex stand together, heads bowed, but biting their lips to stop grins and laughter. In the background, a firecracker that Darwin - who is in charge of the clean-up operation - somehow missed, explodes.  
The two of them break down in absolute hysterics, and Charles and Erik exchange a LOOK. Behind them are Hank, Darwin, Raven, and pretty much all the other students that Professor Xavier has managed to accumulate: about thirty, in total.  
"Right," he begins, once they've straightened up and controlled themselves. "Whose idea was it?"  
Sean and Alex glance at each other and say nothing, the last of their smiles fading. The idea to put firecrackers in every potted plant in the school and then have a very, very little girl called Wanda (who can manipulate reality) set them on fire all at once seemed like a good one at the time, and it was funny and all, but now they're in deep, deep shit.  
"It was me," says Alex, playing a perfect poker face at the adults and their collective audience. "Thought it would be funny."  
Sean's poker face is considerably less impressive. "What?! Dude, it was like, ninety percent my idea!"  
Erik rolls his gaze slowly towards Charles, who places his fingers on his temples.  
"Sean." he confirms. Sean smiles wistfully. "Even got the firecrackers from the guy who sells me my... cigarettes."  
Charles rolls his eyes. If Sean was stoned, and Alex was either stoned or secondhand stoned this entire time, that would probably explain why they thought it was a good idea to attempt to blow up half the mansion.  
"Alex," he says, wanting to go and lie down now, thank you very much. "Help Darwin and the others clean up. Sean..."  
Erik smiles. Not a genuine smile, more of a 'You're going to die and we both know it, aren't I intimidating?' type of smile.  
"Sean, come with me."  
Sean goes pale, and looks at Alex with something like terror in his eyes, because Charles can always give you that look as if you kicked his favourite puppy, and say 'I expected better of you' quietly so that it doesn't drown out the sound of your traitorous heart breaking, but Erik is SCARY. I mean, did you see what he did to that Shaw guy? Just floated him out of his submarine, dead, and threw him down on the sand. Then hugged Charles. Then stopped some missiles. Them set up a school.  
No one comes to his rescue, so Sean moves forward hesitantly towards Erik, jumping as the man lays a hand companionably on his shoulder, because when Erik acts friendly, that's when you know there's trouble. Scowling, grumpy, threatening Erik - that's normal Erik.  
'He was always the most dangerous when he was polite,' thinks Sean, which is a line from Peter Pan or something. He never paid much attention in school, which has gotten him in this situation - dragged off to the principle's office - more times than he can count but, like most stoners, he is surprisingly well-versed in children's films and literature.

Sean suddenly has the irrational fear that Erik is going to finally validate the use of the Shark Face and eat him.

"Do try not to project your thoughts quite so loudly, Sean." says the Professor, rubbing his nose to hide a smile, and Sean flushes bright red, mumbling a 'sorry' under his breath. Charles frowns, because for a second then he thought Seam had tagged a 'sir' onto the end. To his knowledge, Sean has never called anyone 'sir' since he came to the school.

Erik is mildly offended by the presumption some people make about him; that he is not safe to be around children. This is, of course, ridiculous. It's adults he has the problem with.  
He is actually surprisingly good with children, even if most of his direct dealings with them involve them being intimidated into obedience. Charles had mentioned once that maybe it came from a misplaced paternal instinct. Neither of them mention the twins walking around Charles's school, that may or may not be his offspring. Charles knows who they are, and he knows Charles knows, and Charles knows he knows Charles knows, but they don't mention it.  
Anyway, he might be a killer, but he's still a good father figure. He's just not into the touchy-feely side of it. Let Charles deal with that.

He's not actually going to hurt Sean. Just frighten him for a couple of minutes and yell loudly enough that the kid wants to cover his ears, and then hopefully Sean won't do anything stupid for another whole week.

They reach Charles's office (Erik doesn't have an office. Erik has a bedroom, and people don't go in there.) and Erik half-pushes Cassidy in.  
The boy stumbles forward and only just catches himself against the desk, staring at Erik with wide eyes.  
Erik walks around the great, wooden thing and sits down in Charles's chair, gesturing for Sean to do the same.  
"Well, go on. Sit down. We're all friends, aren't we?"  
The boy shoots Erik a terrorised glance and begins to sit, only to jerk upright again as Erik slams his palms down on the desk, yelling.  
"Except we're not, are we?! Because friends don't put fireworks in things and make friends clean up the bloody mess! Not to mention scaring a load of little kids to death and setting off their powers!"

Sean is suddenly reminded of that time Erik pushed him off a satellite dish.

"S-Sorry, sir, we didn-"  
For a moment, Erik wonders if he's gone too far, because Sean is practically trembling and apologising and calling him 'sir'; three things which have never happened before. It's probably just shock though. That bang on the table was pretty loud.  
"I really don't care, Cassidy. You can clean up with the others - and I don't care if you want to go to sleep, you WILL clean it up before one of the little ones hurts themselves on all the broken pottery - and if you even THINK about bringing firecrackers in here again, I will keep you pinned to your bed by the metal bed frame for a week, understand?"  
He leans forward sharply on the last word and Sean flinches back, shoulders hunched. Alarm bells go off in Erik's head and any angry momentum he might have had hits a metaphorical brick wall.  
"Sean," he says softly, standing up. "You don't think I'm going to hit you, do you?"  
Sean keeps his eyes fixed on the ground, and Erik suddenly notices how tense he is, especially around the shoulders, standing ramrod straight and not looking up.  
"Could you please just get it over with, sir?" he says quietly, and Erik's eyebrows leap up and he curses under his breath. The kid honestly thinks Erik's going to beat him, and he's legitimately scared.  
"Sean," Erik repeats, just as softly as before. "Look at me."  
The ginger boy does, with more than some apprehension.  
"I'm not going to hit you. Anywhere. With anything. Ever. Understand?"  
Sean blinks, surprised, but nods.  
"Now why the hell would you think I would?!"  
Sean jumps again but doesn't look so terrified anymore.  
"I didn't mean anything- It's just, a-at my last school, if you did anything, you got-"  
Erik swears, much more loudly this time, and Sean looks a little embarrassed.  
It suddenly occurs to Erik that Sean's crossing himself and being afraid of corporal punishment are probably related, and he rolls his eyes.  
"I kill people," he says slowly. "But I don't hit kids. Alright?" Sean nods, and Erik feels his confidence swell up again. He is a scary guy, he thinks. A scary guy, but a nice guy. Besides, the people he kill are evil anyway. Mainly Nazis.  
"Good. Now get lost and clear the mess you made."  
Sean grins slowly and walks towards the door.  
"Oh, and Sean?"  
"Yeah?"  
"No one else here would either. Ever."  
Sean smiles genuinely at him and leaves.  
And Erik remembers that this isn't his office and leaves too.


End file.
